Striking out on our own for South’s sake
The hospital debacle shows the true worth of past and present self-serving politicians, only owing allegiance to Wellington overlords and cronies.
When all the current bother and political balderdash is done, we'll have some sort of a third-rate hospital, eventually. Until the next issue arises, and we start all over again.
Southern service denials, and protests, have been ongoing for decades. Not only health, but all southern infrastructure. Roads, rail, schools, power, all second grade.
How long are we going to play this tiresome game, fighting Wellington every few years? Too much is enough, already.
Better to follow Scotland's independent example. They've their own Parliament, tax system and laws, but are still part of the UK. We should secede from the North Island and from Wellington’s self-serving politics, which are often focused on Auckland's electorate votes.
We should have our own independent Parliament, for the South Island’s benefit, but still be part of New Zealand.
Have a competitive tax regime to attract businesses and HQs here, boosting southern government revenues. Produced, taxed and spent, all here.
Much of New Zealand's export income, and a large part of the tax revenue comes from the South Island, yet the bulk of southern taxes are spent in the north.
If we had had control of our taxes, we'd have paid for, and have, a state-of-the art, future-proof, working hospital by now.
Sacred cows
The last time I recall the subject of secession of the South being given an airing, was in the 1970s when a less politically naive relative of ours could inform me, that "they had sat up and taken notice in Wellington".
In view of the attitude of the Luxon government, which so far has demonstrated just how ineffectual a government is capable of being without trying too hard, have we anything to lose by disassociating ourselves from dysfunctional Auckland with its most pressing problem, the inconvenience of travelling from one side of the harbour to the other, seemingly an obsession with MPs, to the detriment of health services in the South?
The South is better than that and deserves at least the same consideration as roads of national significance, the government’s current sacred cow, surely?
In the overall scheme of things, we don’t even register in this lop-sided system of representation. Our needs don’t exist, as is evident in the government’s procrastination and our teflon-coated prime minister’s weasel-words in respect of our hospital.
We must either "get over it", or better still, do something about it to show that we are not prepared to be urinated on from a great height, much longer.
Childish meandering
I am becoming sick and tired of the repeated demands still being aired from former Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt and his partner Asha Dutt for public recognition of the former mayor’s term in office. When will this ridiculous continuation of embarrassing themselves cease? (ODT, 3.10.24).
And may I ask what planet are they living on? In view of catastrophic events occurring here and worldwide. I find their childish meandering of discontent totally unacceptable and offensive and it needs to stop.
A surplus of experts versus practical people
The cost blowout over the new Dunedin hospital had me thinking back to 1991 when the Otago Area Health Board announced the closure of the Owaka hospital/home for the district’s frail elderly.
According to the board’s papers it would cost up to $1 million to bring the facility up to legal standards while the board chairman, an Otago University professor, stated that judging by his "experience" of such matters it would cost $1.5m.
Not being an "expert" but with my curiosity piqued, I got hold of the board’s costings and by talking to local tradesmen I calculated the realistic cost at $150,000, just one tenth of the board chairman’s figure.
Surprise, surprise, this proved to be accurate, albeit we finally spent $200,000 altogether to provide extra comforts for the residents.
Of course I’m not suggesting an old folks home and a major city hospital are directly comparable, but isn’t it time we questioned the current blind acceptance of the mysterious and secretive processes which are given free rein to hugely inflate costs for public works? It seems to me that there’s a surplus of alleged "experts" involved and too few practical people as in the old Ministry of Works.
The whole truth
At last the truth. Our prime minister has told Newstalk ZB that his approach is "I don't know. You just fake it till you make it. I've made a whole career out of that." So now we know why he still hasn't seen Casey Costello's "independent advice" or doesn't know about the climate adaptation proposals for South Dunedin. And has been away from Dunedin so long he hasn't noticed the outpatient building and thinks "nothing of consequence" has happened with the hospital rebuild in six years.
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